Flux box gate



NOV. 7, 1933. v P w D 1,934,577

FLUX BOX GATE Filed June 23, 1931 f /4 l2 5 mmq /0 Iii 20 2 2 QE U ggwuento'o Vkndle Patented Nov. 7, 1933 STATES smear eerie FLUX BOX GATE,

Virgil P. Wendie, Dover, Ohio, assignor to The Reeves ManufacturingCompany, Dover, :Ohio,

a corporation of Ohio 7 Application 5 Claims.

for coating the same.

Although these articles have formerly been hand dipped into the moltenzinc or tin, for the purpose of coating them; machines, such asdisclosed'in the application :of John 'Carroll, Serial No. 316,754,filed November 2, 1928, which has matured into Patent No. 1,787,141issued December 30, 1930 have recently comeinto use for mechanicallycoating pails and other formed articles.

Such machines provide carriers, suspended from a conveyer, forsupporting the pails or other articles to be coated; these carriersbeing'arranged to move the articles down through a flux box, into andthrough the molten zinc, or other coating metal, after which the coatedarticles are moved up out of the molten metal at a point beyond the fluxbox, drained and carried to an unloading point.

This movement. of' the article to be coated through the flux box andinto the molten metal bath and then out of :the bath at a point removedfrom the flux box necessitates the provisionof a slot in one wall of.the flux box to permitthe' carrier to pass therethrough. Itwill be seenthat unless this slot is closed at all. times, the sal ammoniac or otherflux contained in the flux box will leak through the slot and over thesurface of the molten metal used for coating.

The object of the present improvement is to provide a simple,inexpensive and efiicient mechanism inthe form of a flux box gate whichpermits the carrier to pass through this slot in the wall of the fluxbox and at the same time maintains the slot closed or sealed againstleakage at all times.

The above and other objects may be attained by providing a sectorpivotally mounted upon the wall of the flux box in which the slot islocated, the sector overlying the slot and provided with a notchnormally located beyond the slot, to receive the carrier, the sectorbeing arranged to move with the carrier as it passes through the slot inthe flux box wall, means being provided for returning the sector tonormal position after then dip the formed article into the molten metal-2111116 23, 1931. Serial No. 546,259

each carrier has passed through the slot in the flux box wall. 1 I

The above and other objects which will be readily apparent from aninspection of the accompanying drawing and the following detaildescription may be accomplished by a mechanism such as illustrated intheaccompanying drawing, in which t Figure 1 is a top plan view of aportion of a flux box provided with the improved flux box Similarnumerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawing.

A portion of the galvanizing pot or tank is shown generally at 10, thelevel of the molten zinc or other coating metal therein being indicatedby the broken linexll.

The flux box shown generally at 12 is open at the top and bott m andcomprises the side walls 13 and end walls 144. This flux box is mountedat one end portion of the galvanizing tank, the lower portion of theflux box extending below the molten metal level 11 and sal ammoniac orother flux is contained in the flux box abovethe level of the moltenmetal to a height. substantially as indicated by the dot and dash line15.

For the purpose of conveying the articles to .be coated through the fluxand then through the molten metal in the tank 10, carriers are suspendediroin a'conveyer and arranged to support the articles. Each carrier mayinclude a de pending rod. or arm 1S having at its lower end an angularportion 1'7 provided with a support-- ing frame 18 for supporting pailsor other ar ticles to be coated as indicated at 19.

In order to permit this carrier to'pass the pail or other article downthrough the in the flux box 12 and then through the molten metal in thetank 10, it is necessary to provide a slot in one wall of the flux boxto receive the carrier. This slot isshown as an arcuate slot 20 in oneside wall 13 of the flux box arranged to receive the angular portion 17of the carrier and permit the same to move downward through the slot inorder to pass the pail l9 first through the flux and then into themolten metal.

It will be seen that thisv slot must be covered at all times to preventthe flux from leaking through the same onto the surface of the moltenmetal and for this purpose, a sector shaped gate 21 is pivoted as at 22to the side wall 13 in which the slot 20 is located, the sector lyingagainst the side wall 13 either against the outside or inside surfacethereof as desired and covering the slot 20, being normally held in theposition shown in the drawing by any suitable means such as a lightspring 23 connected to the arm 24 of the sector and to any stationaryportion of the device indicated generally at 25 for holding the sectorup against the stop 26 which may be formed upon the adjacent side wall13 of the flux box.

A notch 27, preferably downwardly inclined as best shown in Fig. 2, isformed in the periphery of the sector 21 and arranged to be normallylocated just above the upper end of the slot 20 when the sector is inthe initial position shown in the drawing.

As the carrier descends with the pail or other article to be coatedsupported thereon, the angular portion 17 of the carrier will bereceived into the notch 2'7 of the sector, the inclined cam surface 28upon the adjacent side wall 13, assisting in guiding the angular portion17 of the carrier into the notch.

As the carrier continues to descend, it will oscillate the sector 21downward against the pull of the light spring 23, the angular portion 17of the carrier passing downward through the arc uate slot 20 in theadjacent side wall of the flux box, the upper portion of the sector,that is the portion above the notch 2'7, continuing to cover the slot 20during this time.

As the notch 2'7 of the sector passes below the lower end of the slot20, the carrier will be released from engagement with the notch as itcontinues to move downward and the spring 23 will pull the sector backto the initial position shown in the drawing, ready for the reception ofthe next descending carrier.

It will be seen that the pail or other article supported upon thecarrier will thus be carried down through the flux and into the moltenmetal in the tank 10, after which the carrier will move the pail throughthe molten metal to a point beyond the flux box, and then out of themetal I where the coated pail may be removed from the carrier.

If desired, a disk 29 may be formed upon the angular portion 17 of thecarrier for the purpose of preventing any slight leakage through thenotch 2'? of the sector.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for coating articles including a carrier for supporting thearticle to be coated, a tank of molten metal, a flux box at the top ofthe molten metal and provided with a slot through one side, a sectorshaped gate pivoted at one side of the slot and covering said slot, saidgate having a notch in its periphery to receive the carrier, saidcarrier being arranged to move downward through said slot and tooscillate the gate, and means for moving the gate upward to the initialposition after the carrier has passedthrough said slot.

2. Apparatus for coating articles including a carrier for supporting thearticle to be coated, a tank of molten metal, a flux box at the top ofthe molten metal and provided with an arcuate slot through one side, asector shaped gate pivoted at one side of the slot and covering saidslot, said gate having a notch in its periphery to receive the carrier,said carrier being arranged to move downward through said slot and tooscillate the gate, and means for moving the gate upward to the initialposition after the carrier has passed through said slot.

3. Apparatus for coating articles including a carrier for supporting thearticle to be coated, a tank of molten metal, a flux box at the top ofthe molten metal and provided with a slot through one side, a sectorshaped gate pivoted at one side of the slot and covering said slot, saidgate having a notch in its periphery to receive the carrier, meansadjacent to the top of the slot for guiding the frame into said notch,said carrier being arranged to move downward through said slot and tooscillate the gate, and means for moving the gate upward to the initialposition after the carrier has passed through said slot.

4. Apparatus for coating articles including a carrier for supporting thearticle to be coated, a tank of molten metal, a flux box at the top ofthe molten metal and provided with an arcuate slot through one side, asector shaped gate pivoted at one side of the slot and covering saidslot, said gate having a notch in its periphery to receive the carrier,means adjacent to the top of the slot for guiding the frame into saidnotch, said carrier being arranged to move downward 1'Jf5 through saidslot and to oscillate the gate, and means for moving the gate upward tothe initial position after the carrier has passed through said slot.

5. Apparatus for coating articles including a 1 21 carrier forsupporting the article to be coated, a tank of molten metal, a flux boxat the top of the molten metal and provided with a slot through oneside, a sector shaped gate pivoted at one side of the slot and coveringsaid slot, said 155 gate having a notch in its periphery normallylocated at the top of the slot for receiving the car rier, said carrierbeing arranged to move downward through said slot and to oscillate thegate, and spring means for moving the gate upward to 1'30 the initialposition after the carrier has passed through said slot.

VIRGIL P. WENDLE.

